Thumbs up, thumbs down

Published 5:38 pm, Monday, September 30, 2013

Thumbs down to the bureaucracy that prevented the Westhill High School fire alarm system from being immediately repaired after defects were detected in May. The smoke detectors, alarms and sprinklers continued to function after officials identified a problem in the display panel that provides status of the alarm and the location of a working fire. Al Barbarotta, whose company, AFB Construction Management, manages the school buildings, cited a June incident in which a student set off a sprinkler with a lighter as evidence that the system was operational. That is hardly reassuring. Fire drills exist to identify flaws in the system. A problem was identified and delays in correcting it has been attributed to a slow inspection and purchasing process. In a city that saw five lives lost to a fire less than two years ago, the lack of a faster response at Westhill is unforgiveable.

Thumbs up to Stamford officials for taking on the challenge of shaping a nepotism policy for city employees. We appreciate the various viewpoints regarding whether the policy should apply to educators, and the complaint in the fire department that it could be compromised during a emergency. But it was time for the city to pay more attention to this issue. The proposed ordinance would prohibit elected officials, city department and division heads from hiring or promoting family members. There is still time to join the conversation. Another public hearing on the amended ordinance must be held before it can be passed on to the full Board of Representatives for final approval.

Thumbs up to Metro-North commuters who remained patient through yet another crisis on the rails. In recent years, these commuters have earned a creed even more daunting than that of the nimble postal worker facing unpredictable weather and dogs. This time, the problem was a failed electric feeder cable that halted an eight-mile stretch along the New Haven line. At other times, it's been accidents or severe weather. Not every commuter has kept their cool, but most have shown an admirable degree of resiliency and creativity. As for those who have lost their temper, we won't be handing out any thumbs downs. You've been through enough.

Thumbs down, again, to the state of the University of Connecticut football team. Coach Paul Pasqualoni was fired following another drubbing, this time at the hands of Buffalo. It turns out the Huskies' good showing against Michigan the week before was a mirage. This is a bad time to have a bad football team, what with conference realignment probably not finished and the Huskies in a not-great position in the American Athletic Conference. The university and fans desperately want an invitation to a more stable, higher-profile league, but it's a harder sell with the football team, the biggest generator of revenue, struggling so mightily.